Double-acting cupboard door catch



y 8,1951 E. F. BACON ET AL 2,552,390

DOUBLE-ACTING CUPBOARD DOOR CATCH Filed Sept. 19, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 A rick/v5):

May 8, 1951 E. F. BACON ET AL 5 3 DOUBLE-ACTING CUPBOARD DOOR CATCH Filed Sept. 19, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 E1E=E INVENTOR.

' ELBIPIOGE E BAco/V E; M/u/mo F. 634x70 HHRLfJ s. COMfY A TTOP/Vf/S' May 8, 1951 Filed Sept. 19, 1946 E. F. BACON ETAL DOUBlE-ACTING CUPBOARD DOOR CATCH 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. [LEE/0G5 F. 84!

ATTORNEYS Patented May 8, 1951 7 2,552,390 DOUBLE-ACTING CUPBOARD noon CATCH Elbridge F. Bacon, Charles S. Comey, and Millard F. Saxton, Flint, Mich. said Bacon assignor to said Comey and said Saxton Application September 19, 1946, Serial No. 697,866

I 1 This invention relates to a cupboard door catch particularly adapted for use on cupboards or other doors where a friction retaining action is desired without the provision of positive latching means. The device is particularly suitable in such applications as kitchen cabinet doors, book cases and similar light doors although it may be also adapted for other applications.

It is an object of the invention to provide a simple, low cost catch having a very much improved action in that the door may be closed with a very slight effort While a greater effort is required to open it. In other Words, it goes in easy and comes out hard. For this purpose, the invention contemplates a dual pivot catch together with a correlated arrangement of springs and cam faces whereby the catch pivots on one axis during a closing operation and on another axis during an opening operation.

Figure 1 is a side view partly in section of an improved catch embodying a preferred form the present invention.

Figure 2 is an end view of the device of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view of the device from the inside of the door.

Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7 are diagrams illustrating closing and opening action.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the movable elements of the device.

Figure 9 is a sectional view of a modified form of construction.

Figure 10 is an end view of the modified form of construction.

Referring now to the drayings, the catch comprises a one-piece sheet metal housing or frame member l0 having two flat ears l'2 which may be screwed to a cupboard door. The metal is bent to form an end face [4 having a latch aperture l6 and top and bottom face plates I8 which are perforated at 20. The housing also has an inner face plate 22 and an inclined back plate 24 together with a spring receiving lug 26 which is formed as part of the top or bottom face plates l8.

In the modified form of construction shown in Figure 9, the spring receiving lug 26 is formed integral with the back plate 24' which extends as a single contoured surface from the flat ears l2 at one end to the end face plate H4 at the other end.

The interior mechanism of the catch comprises a U shaped yoke 28 which is pivoted on a pin 30 extending through the apertures 20 of the top and bottom plates l8. The yoke is also pro- 2 Claims. (01. 29278) vided with a spring receiving lug 32. Pivoted on a pin 34 near the upper end of the yoke in Figure 8 is a swinging catch 36 which is of box shape bent from a single piece of metal. The catch has a limit stop tongue 38 formed at its lower end in Figure 8 which cooperates with the pin 36 to limit the outward movement of the catch.

A helical spring 4|] is positioned on the pin 34 and has its ends reacting against the yoke and the catch to urge the latter outwardly. A helical compression spring 42 is formed in an arc shape as illustrated and abuts against the lugs 32 and 26. The catch is adapted to cooperate with a stationary keeper member illustrated in Figures 4 through 7. The keeper member 44 is retained in place by a single screw with the aid of corner .prongs 50 which are adapted to be imbedded in the door frame. Because of the unique operation of the catch 36 only one strike surface 52 is necessary on the keeper member 44 for all conditions of operation.

In the position shown in Figure 4, the operation is illustrated at the start of a closing movement. When the door is closed further to the position illustrated in Figure 5, the cam face 46 of the catch 36 slides along the keeper 44 and. pivots the catch about the pin 34 as an axis against the light resistance of spring 40. Upon further movement of the door inwardly, the catch passes the keeper and springs outwardly to the position shown in Figure 6. Due to the curvature of the cam surface 48, a pull on the door creates no couple about the axis 34 since the cam surface 48 is substantially radial with respect thereto. An outward pull does, however, provide a couple about the axis 30 and, as shown in Figure 7, the yoke is swung back by the keeper 44 compressing the spring 42 which imposes greater resistance and makes the door more difficult to open than it was to close the same.

It will thus be seen that the present invention provides an improved action which reduces the possibility of cupboard .doors being accidentally left open as by failure to swing the door shut with sufficient force and at the same time insures against accidental opening once the door is closed.

We claim:

1. A friction door catch for cooperation with a stationary striker comprising a casing having a pair of longitudinally extending, spaced apart side walls, a front wall at one end of said casing extending transversely across a set of corresponding edges of said side walls, and a pair of substantially flat base flanges extending outwardly from a set of corresponding edges of said side walls, said base flanges being adapted for mounting said casing on the inner face of a door, a first pin extending transversely between said side walls on an axis disposed closely adjacent the planes of said front wall and said base flanges, a U-shaped yoke having spaced apart legs connected together at one end, said yoke being pivotally supported adjacent the free ends of said legs on said pin, a relatively heavy spring connected at one end with said yoke and at the other end with said casing and arranged to pivotally bias said yoke about said pin as an axis in a direction towards said front wall such that said yoke is normally positioned with the connected ends of its legs disposed adjacent said front wall, a second pin extending transversely between the legs of said yoke adjacent the connected ends thereof, a catch pivotally supported at one end on said second pin, said front wall having an opening therein through which said catch is swingable about said second pin as an axis, said second pin being spaced rearwardly in said casing relative to said first pin when said yoke is in said normal position, and a relatively light spring acting between said yoke and said catch and biasing said catch to a position projecting outwardly through said opening in said front wall, said catch in said normal position of said yoke and said projected position of said catch extending from said second pin in a direction toward said first pin, the free end of said catch forming an arcuate cam surface which is generally concentric with the axis of said second pin, said catch having a second cam surface which is generally flat and which extends from an extremity of said arcuate cam surface toward said second pin, said cam surfaces being arranged such that said arcuate cam surface is engaged by the striker to pivot the yoke and catch inwardly of the casing as a unit about said first pin as an axis against the resistance of said relatively heavy spring during opening movement of the door and said flat cam surface is engaged by said striker to pivot the catch inwardly of the casing about said second pin as an axis against the resist ance of said relatively light spring during closing movement of the door.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein said relatively heavy spring is of helical form and of arcuate shape, said relatively heavy spring extending in arcuate fashion from the free end of said yoke toward said base flanges, said relatively light spring being of helical form and being pivotally supported on said second pin with one end acting against said catch and with the other end acting against said yoke.

ELBRIDGE F. BACON. CHARLES S. COME-Y. MILLARD F. SAXTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,565,923 Gifiord Dec. 15, 1925 2,003,731 Beito June 4, 1935 2,147,794 Leonard et a1 Feb. 21, 1939 2,293,700 Curtiss, Jr. Aug. 25, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 437,256 Great Britain Oct. 25, 1935 

